Prevalence of positive antinuclear antibodies in thalassemic patients in Babylon Thalassemic Center

Abstract EN

A prospective study was conducted on (104) persons: classified as 74 patients with B-thalassemia major.,30 patients as control group (healthy people ) for the period of May 2008 to February 2009.Their age range from (1-30) years who were attending the thalassemic center at Babylon Maternity and children hospital .By using the kit of Anti nuclear antibodies (ANA).

They were studied, as the level of ANAtiter had been estimated, and the results analyzed by using the statistical methods.

(10.8 %) show positivity of ANAtiter at level of (55 U / ml or more) for thalassemic patients and (89.2 % ) show negative result below (40 U / ml) for those patients ,while all control group were negative.

The positive titers where studied according to deferoxamine treatment (Iron chelating drug) where 87.5 % for patients receiving deferoxamine, and 12.5 % for patients not receiving this drug.

Also the positive titers according to the age of thalassemic patients were analyzed, and the results correlated with the age, where most of positive titers for patients older than ten years (represent 75 % of positive titers), in compare to (12.5 %) from the positive titers for patients their age five to ten years and a similar percent (12.5 %) for patients under five years.

Finally (62.5 %) of positive titers for patient who were spleenectomised, whereas (37.5 % ) for non spleenectomised patient.